Flying-machine.



R. L. NEAL.

FLYING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 11. 1916.-

9 1 w 1 9 1L u Patented May 2, 1916.

Z SHEETSSHEET I Witnesses. I lriventdr Attorneys R. L. NEAL.

FLYING MACHINE.

APPLICAT|0N I:'ILED JAN. 11. 1915.

Patented May 2, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Attorneys nurus L. NEAL, or

WASHINGTON,'ARKANSAS, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF T0 WILLIAM C. GJRIIJEJEIN, OF WASHINGTON, ARKANSAS. A

FLYING-MACHINE.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that l, RUFUS L. NEA a citizen of the United States, residing at Washington; in the county of Hempstead and State of Arkansas, have invented a new "and useful lflying-Machine, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to flying machines 4 of the heavier-than-air type, one of the objects of the invention being to provide a single controlling means by the manipulation of which the horizontal controlling planes or rudders at the front and back ends of the machine can be shifted to direct the machine upwardly or downwardly as desired and which controlling means can also be manipulated to operate aerofoils at the sides of the machine, thus to restore and maintain the lateral balance of the machine.

A further object is /to improve upon the general construction of the machine so as to render the same durable so as to withstand the various strains to which the machine is subjectedwhile in use.

With the'forego'ing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combi-.

nation and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction'hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the preciseembodiment of the invention herein disclosed can be made within the scope of what is claimed, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the.accompanyingjdrawings the preferred, form of the invention has been shown.

- In said drawings": Figurel is a plan view.

of the machine, thefabric coverings of the wing frames being removed; "'Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section through the machine. Fig. 3 is a sectionon line A Fig. 2."

Referring to the figures by characters of reference 1 and 2 designate the upper and lower longitudinal members of the central or main frame of the machineythese members being bowed and oppositely disposed;

Twopairs of the memberslare employed and the members of the two pairs are connected by cross 'strip s-filocated atdesired intervals. "Members-1 and 2 are connected to'- 1' gether at their ends in any manner desired,

as by means of straps tsecured thereon;

tit. End cross strips 5 andjt also are to Specification of Letters Patent.

posed between said members 1 and 2 at desired intervals are struts or spacing standards 7 whereby collapsing of the frame is prevented. Extending overthe members 1 directly above the front strut 7 is the front frame member 8 ofthe sustaining plane, this frame member being. held down onto the members lby straps 9 extending thereover and suitably secured to the members 1. The rear member of the frame of the sustaining plane has been indicated at 10 and instead of extending over the. members 1 is extended under them as shown particularly in Figs. 1

and 2, it being fastened inany manner desired to said members 1. Ribs 11 connect the members 8 and 10 and are attached thereto preferably by 'upper and lower straps or metal plates 12 bolted or otherwise secured to the parts. Upwardly and outwardly inclined braces 13'are secured to Patented May 2, 111118. Application filed January 11, 1916. Serial'No. 71,537.

. the ends of the members 1 and 2, and inter- I the lower ends of the struts 7 .under the Y additionally reinforced by means by crossed guys mounted in a novel manner. These guys, which are preferably formed of steel wire and which have been indicated at the several places on the drawings by the numeral 15, are secured at their; ends to eye bolts 16 and these bolts are extended through diagonally disposed corner brackets 17' fastened to the adjacent parts of the frame. The bolts 16 are engaged by nuts 18 and: obviously by screwing the nuts onto the bolts the guyscan be drawn taut and the frame thus rendered rigid so as to resist strains fromjal-ldircctions.

Secured to certain oflthe cross strips 3 connecting the members 2 is a beat-like car or body 19 in which is arranged'the motor. 20 which drives the propeller shaft 21.

. This propeller shaft'i's journaled in brackets 22 depending from the frame of the sus I taining frame and the propeller 23 onsaid shaft is located in. front of the. body 19.. 'Any suitable means may be employed for transmitting motionvfrofim'the motor to the shaft211. employed;

Hingedly jront cross 110 For example,1 a chain 24= may be I said lever can be swung back and forth to rotate the drum 35 in either direction. Or

strip5 is a front controllingplane or hori- I .zontal.rudder 25 extending back between the members 1 and 2 and toward the car or body 19; -Another horizontal rudder or controlling plane 26 is hingedly' connected to the rear cross strip 6 and extends rearwardly therefrom. Projecting upwardly from this cross strip 6 is a guide arm 27' suitably braced as at- 28 and another guide arm-29 extends downwardly from the cross strip 6 and is suitably braced as at Additional guide arms 31 extend upwardly from certain of the upper cross strips 3 and wardly from the rear portion of the front 7 controlling plane 25, as shown at 33 and extends past a guide 34 and into the car 9' where it is secured to a drum 3&1 mounted for rota tion. Another cable 36 is fa steneTi to the drum and extends rearwardly therefrom through the guide arm 29 and is fastened to the bottom of the rear controllingplane 26. Thus it will be seen that when the drum 35 is rotated in one direction, plane 26 will be ele-L" vated at its lower end while plane 25-will be lowered at its lower end and, durin the rotation .of the drum in the opposite irec- .tion, the movement of the two planes will be reversed.

shaft 37 and this shaft is adapted to be actuated by a lever 38 extending radially therefrom and mounted for rotation about its individual longitudinaliaxis. A handle 39 of any suitable form is located at one end of the lever 38 and by means thereof if desired, by means of the handle the lever 38 can be rotated about itsown longitudinal axis. This will result in winding upon said lever a cable 40 extending laterally beyond one side of the machine and unwinding another cable 41 extending laterally beyond the other side of the machine or vice I versa. The two cables are secured to the lower faces of side controlling planes or a'erofoils' 42 which arearranged below the outer end portions of the sustaining planes and are hingedly mounted between depending brackets or hangers 43 secured'to the frame-of the sustaining plane, the said controlling planes or aerofoils 42 being exi tended' rearwardly from these brackets. ,]Guides 44 are arranged above the rear portionsof the side controlling planes and are m'ovably engaged by a connecting cable 45 ne end of which is secured to the upper face of one of the'pl'anes 42, while the other -end is'secured to the upper face of the other plane 42. Thus when shaft 38 is rotated in one direction, the front portion of one plane 42 will be lowered while the corresponding portion of the other plane 42 will be raised. Obviously, from the foregoing, by manipulating the one lever 38 so as to either or both swing it and rotate it, the various controlling plan'e's,25, 26 and 42 can be shifted, the movement of the front and rear planes 25 and 26 resulting in the upward or downward movement of the'machine or its horizontal flight, while the shifting of the side controlling planes 42 will operate to restore orf maintain the lateral balance of the-ma chine.

For the purpose of controlling the lateral connected at their front and rear ends to form a, parallelogram, the connections being of any'type desired, as, for example, cross rods 47 pivotally attached to the planes. Cables 48 are attached to the re spective planes at the rear ends thereof and.

extendthrough a suitable guide 49 and are attached to a lever 50 at points above and below the fulcrum thereof. Thus by shifting the lever 50 inone direction, the twoa v planes 46 will be swung toward the right Drum 35 is secured to and supported by a at their frontends, thus to steer the machine to the left and, when the lever is shifted in the opposite direction, the machine 1. A frame consisting of members ar-' ranged in parallel pairs, the members of each pair'being bowed and oppositely disposed and secured together at their front and rear ends, a sustaining 'pla-ne having its front frame member extending over and secured to the upper members of said pairs and having its rear frame member extending under and secured to the upper members of the said pairs, and a carriage connected to and supported by the lower members of said pairs, and under the frame of the sustaining plane.

2. A frame consisting of members arranged in parallel pairs, the members of each pair being bowed and oppositely disposed and secured together at their front and rear ends, a sustaining plane having its front frame member extending over and secured to the upper members of said pairs and having its rear frame member extending under and secured to the up per members of the said pairs, front and v shifting ofthe rear cross strips secured to the ends of the bowed frame members, a horizontal controlling plane hingedly connected to and extended rearwardly from each of said cross ing the planes.

BIA frame consisting of members arranged in parallel pairs, the members if each pairbeing bowed and oppositely disposed and secured together at their front strips, and means for simultaneously shiftand rear ends, a sustaining plane having its front frame member extending over and secured to the upper members of said pairs and having its rear frame member extend ing under and secured to the upper members of the said pairs, front and rearcross strips secured to the ends of the bowed frame members, a horizontal controlling plane hingedly connectedto and extended rearvvardly from each of said cross strips,

--ranged in parallel pairs, the members of and extending laterally beyond the bowed frame members, a controlling lever, and means operated. by the oscillation of .the

lever for simultaneously shifting said controlling planes to direct the machineiupward-1y or downwardly as desired.

{1. A frame consisting of members areach pair beingbowed and oppositely disposed and secured together at. their front and rear ends, a sustaining plane having its front frame member extending over and secured to the upperni'embers of said pairs I and having its rear g frame member extend- ,i'ng under and secured ,to the upper mem- 1 bers'of the said pairsifront and rear cross strips secured to the'ends of the bowed frame members, af horizontal controlling plane hingdly connected to and extended rear-wardly from, each of said cross strips andextending laterally beyond the bowed frame members, a controlling lever, 'means operated by the oscillation of the lever for simultaneously shifting said controlling downwardly as desired, side controlling planes below and connected to the frame of plane to direct the machine upwardly or v the sustaining plane, and ;means"operated by the. rotation of said .lever about its indi vidual longitudinal axis for 'simultaneously shifting the side planes-in opposite directions respectively independently of the planes. v

5. A flying machine including opposed pairs of frame members, the members of each pair being bowed and oppositely dis-' posed and being secured together at their ends, a sustaining plane having the front frontand rear controlling strip of its frame extended over and secured to the upper bowed member and having its Trear strip extending under and securedte; the upper bowed member, struts interposed 'between the bowed members, up-

.wardly' diverging "braces connecting the lower bowed members to the outer end of the frame of the-sustaining plane, struts interposed between said braces and the frame of the sustaining plane' 6. A flying machine in cfluding opposed pairs of frame'membera the members of each pair being bowedand oppositely disposed and being secured together at their ends, a sustaining planev having the front strip of its frame extended ,over and secured to the, upper'bowed member, struts interposed between the bowed members, upwardly diverging braces connecting the lower bowed members to the outer end of the frame of the sustaining plane, struts interposed between said braces and the frame of the sustaining plane, crossed guys, corner brackets connected to portions of cured to the upper bowed member and having its rear strip extending under and sethe machine, bolts adjustably mounted in i 

